junker Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 I have an old battery that is completely dead, if anything it drains electric like a black hole.... anyways- I called NAPA Auto Parts yesterday, and they said that if i bought a new battery off the internet and it shipped "dry" with no electrolyte and no charge that they could get it ready to go for a small fee ($5.00). But then I was Thinking, if they can do that, why wouldn't they be able to recharge and refill my old battery? I have not talked to them yet because it was after hours yesterday when i thought of it, and today must be some kind of NAPA holiday or something... IS it worth it to buy the new one? The old one isn't physically damaged on the outside or anything, no cracks or leaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cy Welch Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 I have an old battery that is completely dead, if anything it drains electric like a black hole.... anyways- I called NAPA Auto Parts yesterday, and they said that if i bought a new battery off the internet and it shipped "dry" with no electrolyte and no charge that they could get it ready to go for a small fee ($5.00). But then I was Thinking, if they can do that, why wouldn't they be able to recharge and refill my old battery? I have not talked to them yet because it was after hours yesterday when i thought of it, and today must be some kind of NAPA holiday or something... IS it worth it to buy the new one? The old one isn't physically damaged on the outside or anything, no cracks or leaks. A lead acid battery discharges by a chemical process with the acid. Once it has run down you can't just replace the acid. Frankly I would check at Walmart, they carry a lot of MC batteries which come with acid and everything. I probably wouldn't cost any more than the cost of the dry battery plus shipping and having Napa prep it for you. Generally once a battery has gone completely dead there is nothing you can do to bring it back to life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joecool85 Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 A lead acid battery discharges by a chemical process with the acid. Once it has run down you can't just replace the acid. Frankly I would check at Walmart, they carry a lot of MC batteries which come with acid and everything. I probably wouldn't cost any more than the cost of the dry battery plus shipping and having Napa prep it for you. Generally once a battery has gone completely dead there is nothing you can do to bring it back to life. Depends on how dead it is. Check the fluid level, if it is low top it off with water. Then charge the battery with a low amp trickle charger (no more than 500ma), let it charge till the battery reads 15v. This could take 2-4 days. This overvoltaging will frequently bring an old battery back to life. That said, it will never hold a 100% charge, so if your bike has electric start and you run a lot in the cold and/or your bike requires a lot of cranking over, don't bother. Another thing, why did this battery die? Is your charging system functioning properly? You should have at least 13v at idle on most bikes, and 14.5-15v from 3k rpm to redline. You might also have a short in the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junker Posted August 26, 2008 Author Share Posted August 26, 2008 i guess you don't know my whole saga on my FZ600... lol The charging system is fine, when i get the bike running it doesn't even want a goddamn battery taking up space on its back ... But the kid i bough it from must've just left the bike sitting for over a year, maybe two. The battery looks new but is completely dead, Gas was gummed up in the carbs and the oil was really gross when i changed it. I believe the battery is dead-dead because it lost it's charge over time and lack of use and recharging. I called NAPA Today and they told me that NO, you cannot add new acid to the old acid that is in there or it will blow up in my face! They said I would definitely be better off buying a new battery. I am going to try Wally-World like Welch mentioned. Thanx Peoples Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joecool85 Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 i guess you don't know my whole saga on my FZ600... lol The charging system is fine, when i get the bike running it doesn't even want a goddamn battery taking up space on its back ... But the kid i bough it from must've just left the bike sitting for over a year, maybe two. The battery looks new but is completely dead, Gas was gummed up in the carbs and the oil was really gross when i changed it. I believe the battery is dead-dead because it lost it's charge over time and lack of use and recharging. I called NAPA Today and they told me that NO, you cannot add new acid to the old acid that is in there or it will blow up in my face! They said I would definitely be better off buying a new battery. I am going to try Wally-World like Welch mentioned. Thanx Peoples I hate walmart. But it's up to you if you want to support the devil. When I was living in Old Town I use to go to Friend & Friend (a local powersports shop in Orono, ME) and they could hook me up with a motorcycle battery for between $20-$50 depending on what bike it was for and how high a quality of battery I wanted. I normally go with a ~ $30 battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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